StarFall Comics
A Division of Pullemouttayerhat Productions
A Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of StarFall Innovations
Proudly Presents:
Blood Ties
#1: Honeymoon
WARNING: This title contains language and situations that may not be suitable for readers under the age of 13, or for anyone who is in the least bit squeamish.
Old Forge, New York, is the kind of small town people come to to get away from life for a while. Nestled deep within the heart of the Aderondak Mountains of Upstate New york, Old Forge is the home to many tourist attractions, such as the Enchanted Forest Theme Park, and the starting point for many canoeing trips. The perfect place for a honeymoon.
Case in point: a brand-new Ford Escort wagon, driven by Richard Douglas and his wife of two days, Samantha; high school sweethearts without a care in the world.
"This place is beautiful, Rick," Sam states, leaning on her husband's arm. "How much farther?"
"Shouldn't be too long," he replied, running his hand through her light brown hair. He untangled his arm from her shoulders to point at a nearby motel. "See? There it is."
"I can't wait 'till tomorrow," she stated. "Our first honeymoon."
"Planning next year's Vegas trip already?"
"Not Vegas," she whispered into his ear. "Tahiti."
"Tahiti," he repeated. "You always did like those exotic locales."
"Tell you what, lover," she stated as they got out of the car. "I'll go check us in, you head over to the docks and see about that canoe for tomorrow."
"See you in a few minutes," he said, giving her a quick kiss.
"Just make sure you bring your best part," she replied with a little giggle.
"I wouldn't go on a trip this close to the full moon," the guy behind the counter told Rick. "Not with all the murders lately."
"Murders?" Rick asked.
"Yeah. Folks hereabouts have been calling him the Full Moon Slasher. Lots of tourists go out during the full moon, and are found dead, with no blood in the body."
"Well, there's no way we can postpone this trip for another week," Rick told the guy. "How much for one canoe, five days?"
"Thirty dollars per day, plus a fifty dollar deposit."
"That's it? I was led to believe it'd be more."
"You and the missus appear to be gutsy," the guy told him. "I'm cutting you two kids a break."
"Well, thanks," Rick told him. "See you in a week."
"If yer still alive," was the whispered reply.
"Sounds like a regular vampire story," Sam remarked, once Rick told her what he'd been told.
"That's what I thought when he mentioned the part about there being no blood in the bodies," Rich said. "He must've been exaggerating the story a little.
"But we still launch tomorrow morning, right?"
"The night of the full moon," he replied with a nod. "Just like we planned."
The canoeing trip set off without a hitch. Sam steered, sitting in the back, while Rick sat up front, providing much of the power needed to move the canoe. During that first day, they would often talk about their plans for the future: kids, schools, work, and the like. They also joked a lot, and often talked about nothing at all.
As they were setting up for the first night, Sam couldn't help shake the feeling that something or someone was watching them. No, not them. Her.
"I'm not sure about this," she remarked as she slipped under the blanket next to him.
"Why not?" he asked, hugging her lithe body close to his. "We're the only ones on the beach."
"You're right," she whispered, kissing his chest. "It's just going to take some getting used to, sleeping with somebody, out here in the middle of nowhere."
"It's okay, Sammi," he said. "I'm here for ya."
Sam slept fitfully that night. She dreamed that she was walking olong the beach, totally naked, towards these two red eyes that seemed to hover in mid-air.
She felt a heavy breath on her shoulder, yet Sam felt no fear. Indeed, she only felt more excited with each passing moment."
"Do you want this?" she heard a voice ask her from out of the thick mist.
"Yes," she breathed.
"This may hurt some."
"I don't mind." The words seemed to come automatically from her mouth.
"Excellent."
Sam moaned as she felt the breathing on her neck intensify, followed by a sharp piercing of the skin. Sam reached out to embrace the mist...
And awoke to find herself naked on the beach, standing with her arms outstretched, as if trying to embrace someone. Ignoring the slight pain at the base of her neck, Sam headed back to Rick and the blanket.
Sam said nothing of her sleepwalking the next day, although Rick commented on her pale complexion and her sluggishness.
"I just ha an unusual dream last night," was all the told him. "Nothing to worry about."
To his delight, Sam seemed to liven up as the sun startd to set. It was almost as if she'd been revived by the coming night.
"Here's to another night in the wild," she exclaimed, pulling him to the ground. To his amazement, her lovemaking was as if she'd been possessed. Indeed, he fell asleep after their fourth coupling, leaving her to stare up at the moon.
"Samantha...."
The voice drifted through the air. This time, Sam knew she wasn't dreaming.
"Rick," she shook her husband, "wake up. I think there's someone out here."
"Go back to sleep, hon," he murmured, rolling onto his side.
"Wonderful," she whispered. She reached over, and pulled a tee shirt on over her naked body. This helped reassure her slightly. Hesitantly, she stood up.
The same red eyes from her dream hovered in the mist in front of her, boring into hers. This time, she did what she could to avoid them, running in the opposite direction from the eyes. That's when she saw the three women walking down the beach towards her.
"Thank God you showed up..." she began, until one of them smiled, revealing two large fangs.
"Oh shit," she breathed. Her brain shut down, as all she could do was scream.
The scream brought Rick out of his sleep liek a bat out of hell.
"Sam!!" he yelled. Wasting no time, he ran towards the three women apparently menacing his wife.
"I hate hitting women," he stated, still running, "but with you three, I think I'll make an exception." his fist connected with the jaw of the lead woman.
"Ouch!" he screamed in pain. "What are you?!"
"Once," the lead woman stated, "I was human, like you. Now, I'm a vampire."
"And now," a second male voice stated, "you're fertilizer." A wooden stake emerged from the vampire's chest, and she dropped.
"Thanks," Rick told the newcomer. "Who... What are these people?"
"Like she said," the newcomer stated, "they're vampires." He took a look at Rick and Sam. "Get some clothes on, then run. I'll keep them off your backs."
"Right," Rick stated, dragging a near hysterical Sam over to their clothing. They quickly pulled on shorts, then ran through the woods, away from the vampires. Or so they thought.
Sam quickly outdistanced Rick, her fear causing her not to keep him in sight. Then, in front of her, she saw the eyes again. This time, however, she was able to see the rest of the body the eyes were attached to.
The eyes belonged to a woman, with long red hair that fluttered in the wind, longer fingernails than most women she knew, and thick leathery wings that emerged from the woman's shoulder blades. The most striking feature Sam noticed, however, were the fangs.
"Mike is slipping," the woman stated, "if he actually told you two to run from me. But I forget my manners. I am Keili Nephthys, Queen of the Vampires. And you are to be either one of my subjects, or dinner. I haven't decided which yet.
"You're the Full Moon Slasher," Sam breathedd, her will sapped by Keili's piercing eyes. Slowly, she fell to the ground.
Rick entered the clearing just in time to see Keili fly off, Samantha in her arms, either unconscious or dead.
"Damn it, man," Rick asked the stranger once he'd returned to the campground. "What were they? Where'd they take my wife? And who the Hell are you?!"
The stranger stood up, revealing his own pale complexion and fangs.
"My name is Michael Jocasta. The creature who took your wife is named Keili Nephthys. We are both Vampyre."
"Oh, shit," Rick breathed. "Are you going to kill me as well?"
"Unlike my biggest mistake, I do not kill indiscriminantly," Jocasta stated, taking a seat across the fire from Rick.
"Your 'biggest mistake'?"
Michael nodded. "Ten years ago we were both human. Kei was my roommate, lover, best friend, and more." Rick nodded in understanding. It had been the same way with him and Samantha. "Then I was unwillingly converted by a vampire named Starr. I revealed to Keili what had happened, and she ... persuaded me to allow her to join me in this curse. She awoke changed."
"'Changed'," Rick echoed. "She became a cold and heartless murderer."
"Exactly. I saw her kill her parents without a second thought. I've sworn to destroy her, Starr, and every other vampire in existence."
"Does that...?"
"Yes. That includes myself.
"Your wife was most likely taken to their hiding spot. I know where it is. Meet me at sundown tomorrow in the village of Eagle Bay. I'll be waiting." Michael Jocasta stood up and started walking into the woods.
"Wait!"
Jocasta turned around just briefly.
"Do you still love her, after all this?" Rick asked.
"Yes."